If you play OED&D/retroclones, this questionnaire is for you

[Chgowiz]

There has been a bit of fur flying lately around the forums and blogosphere about what begat the OSR (Old School Revival/Renaissance). There's a lot of Internet-available history that traces the emergence of games like OSRIC, Labyrinth Lord, microlite20/74 and Swords & Wizardry from a publisher/content provider perspective, but less so from a player perspective. There's a lot of anecdotal evidence for various reasons why people are playing original edition games, so I thought I would try and ask questions, rather than argue about it. I've posted this post on my blog as well as several forums.

Notes: If you're not currently investigating or playing an original edition game or retroclone/simulacra, this poll is not for you.

For purposes of this poll, I'm defining original edition as anything prior to 3rd Edition (I'm including 2nd edition because it seems the discussion/argument is more about 3E/4E as a differentiator.) Retroclone refers to games like OSRIC, Swords & Wizardry, Labyrinth Lord, Castles & Crusades, microlite74, etc.

Multiple choices are OK. If you have an answer to a question that I've not provided, please feel free to write in your own.

1. What are you doing with an original edition/retroclone D&D?

1. I'm playing in an established campaign as a player
2. I'm running an established campaign as a DM
3. I'm looking to play in a new campaign
4. I'm looking to run in a new campaign

2. What type of roleplaying game were you playing (or are still playing) before you became
interested/involved in an original edition/retroclone?

1. I've always been playing original edition/retroclone D&D
2. 3E D&D
3. 4E D&D
4. I was playing something other than D&D

3. If you were playing 3E, why did you decide to investigate/play an original edition game or retroclone?

1. I still play 3E
2. I'm not looking to replace 3E with original edition, just curious
3. My group of friends are playing and I went along with it
4. I was unhappy with the 3/3.5E rules, mechanics or approach
5. I was unhappy with how Wizards of the Coast published/marketed 3E
6. I like the OGL and wanted to play games that use it

3. If you were playing 4E, why did you decide to investigate/play an original edition game or retroclone?

1. I still play 4E
2. I'm not looking to replace 4E with original edition, just curious
3. My group of friends are playing and I went along with it
4. I was unhappy with the 4E rules, mechanics or approach
5. I was unhappy with how Wizards of the Coast published/marketed 4E
6. I like the GSL and wanted to play games that use it

4. What attracted you to investigate/play an original edition/retroclone D&D?

1. It was recommended by a friend
2. It was what my game group is playing
3. I used to play these games and wanted to "go back"
4. I liked the approach of the rules/mechanics
5. I liked the philosophy behind the rules/mechanics
6. I liked the "feel" (Swords & Sorcery or pulp) of the game
7. I was attracted by the amount of "buzz" on the Internet

5. How did you learn about the original editions/retroclones?

1. It was recommended by a friend
2. It is what my game group is playing
3. I already owned my older books
4. From a blog
5. From a D&D related forum
6. From the retroclone publisher's website

Please comment to respond to the poll or visit the same poll at my blog. If you wish to engage in edition wars, I would ask that you do that in another thread, please. This is an honest, serious attempt to put at least a few numbers around anecdotes and supposition.

 

[Filcher]

1. What are you doing with an original edition/retroclone D&D?
I'm playing in an established campaign as a player


2. What type of roleplaying game were you still playing before you became
interested/involved in an original edition/retroclone?
Still playing 4E D&D

3. If you were playing 3E, why did you decide to investigate/play an original edition game or retroclone?
I am unhappy with the 3/3.5E rules, mechanics or approach

3. If you are playing 4E, why did you decide to investigate/play an original edition game or retroclone?
I still play 4E

4. What attracted you to investigate/play an original edition/retroclone D&D?
I liked the "feel" (Swords & Sorcery or pulp) of the game

5. How did you learn about the original editions/retroclones?
I already owned my older books

 

[Shades of Green]

I'm currently playing BFRPG, which is a retro-clone.

1. What are you doing with an original edition/retroclone D&D?

I'm running an established campaign as a DM.

2. What type of roleplaying game were you playing (or are still playing) before you became interested/involved in an original edition/retroclone?

3.0E D&D; before that, 2E.

3. If you were playing 3E, why did you decide to investigate/play an original edition game or retroclone?

I was unhappy with the 3/3.5E rules, mechanics or approach. More specifically, 3E required a lot of prep time and was too rules-heavy for my playing style, so I moved to BFRPG which is much easier to prep and relatively rules-light.

4. What attracted you to investigate/play an original edition/retroclone D&D?

I liked the approach of the rules/mechanics
I liked the philosophy behind the rules/mechanics

5. How did you learn about the original editions/retroclones?

From a D&D related forum (here on ENWorld). BFRPG was recommended to me HERE.

 

[InVinoVeritas]

In the past year, I played in a BECMI game that fell apart (economy's fault), ran an online 1e AD&D game that fell apart (my fault), and am trying to start a 2e game now.

I still play 3.5e and will most definitely continue to do so. I have the core rulebooks for 4e, but haven't been able to build up the interest in myself to give the game a try.

I'm a self-made player, bringing myself into the game 25 years ago without anyone to introduce me, so I've played all the old editions and upgraded as each new one came out. Except for 4e. I felt that 4e was doing things that didn't interest me, and so I started hunting through the old editions to try to understand what I was missing and what I am looking for in my games.

 

[jdrakeh]

1. What are you doing with an original edition/retroclone D&D?

1. I'm playing in an established campaign as a player
2. I'm running an established campaign as a DM
3. I'm looking to play in a new campaign
4. I'm looking to run in a new campaign

At the moment, I'm looking to run a new campaign and I'm running a demo game at a local convention.

2. What type of roleplaying game were you playing (or are still playing) before you became interested/involved in an original edition/retroclone?

1. I've always been playing original edition/retroclone D&D
2. 3E D&D
3. 4E D&D
4. I was playing something other than D&D

I was playing other OOP games (The Fantasy Trip, GURPS Man to Man, etc) and Dark Heresy immediately before I looked into retroclones. The first RPG I ever played was Holmes BD&D back in the early 1980s, though, so before that I wasn't playing any RPGs.

3. If you were playing 3E, why did you decide to investigate/play an original edition game or retroclone?

1. I still play 3E
2. I'm not looking to replace 3E with original edition, just curious
3. My group of friends are playing and I went along with it
4. I was unhappy with the 3/3.5E rules, mechanics or approach
5. I was unhappy with how Wizards of the Coast published/marketed 3E
6. I like the OGL and wanted to play games that use it

I wasn't playing much 3e when I decided to look into retroclones, having already moved on to other games.

3. If you were playing 4E, why did you decide to investigate/play an original edition game or retroclone?

1. I still play 4E
2. I'm not looking to replace 4E with original edition, just curious
3. My group of friends are playing and I went along with it
4. I was unhappy with the 4E rules, mechanics or approach
5. I was unhappy with how Wizards of the Coast published/marketed 4E
6. I like the GSL and wanted to play games that use it

I've only played 4e twice but am interested in it. I'm simply waiting for corrected versions of the core rule books to be printed and it seems that nobody at WotC can give me a straight answer on if that has happened yet.

4. What attracted you to investigate/play an original edition/retroclone D&D?

1. It was recommended by a friend
2. It was what my game group is playing
3. I used to play these games and wanted to "go back"
4. I liked the approach of the rules/mechanics
5. I liked the philosophy behind the rules/mechanics
6. I liked the "feel" (Swords & Sorcery or pulp) of the game
7. I was attracted by the amount of "buzz" on the Internet

The scarcity and sometimes high price of old TSR products (frex, complete sets of Holmes BD&D in excellent condition aren't common or cheap).

5. How did you learn about the original editions/retroclones?

1. It was recommended by a friend
2. It is what my game group is playing
3. I already owned my older books
4. From a blog
5. From a D&D related forum
6. From the retroclone publisher's website

Via RPGnet and ENWorld, IIRC. Specifically, Dan Proctor spent some time here and there talking about Labyrinth Lord on a fairly regular basis.

 

[Dyson Logos]

I'm playing in an AD&D1e campaign and a B/X campaign.
I'm running a 3.5 campaign and a B/X campaign.

(I'm also playing & running a few other games)

Q1: 1&2
Q2: 1,2,3,4*
Q3: 1,6**
Q4: 1
Q5: 1,2,4,6
Q6: 1,2,3,5***

*This question is poorly worded, IMO. In effect, all of the above answers applies to me as I currently play in many games.

**Still playing 3E, never stopped playing B/X, love the OGL. Not trying to replace 3E, but not playing an old school game out of curiosity either (thus not choosing option 2).

*** And from GenCon.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

1. What are you doing with an original edition/retroclone D&D?

I'm playing in an established campaign as a player AND I'm running an established campaign as a DM.

(And we play 3Ed as well.)

2. What type of roleplaying game were you playing (or are still playing) before you became interested/involved in an original edition/retroclone?

Again, I've always been playing original edition/retroclone D&D since 1977, and have also been playing 3E D&D. I've also played about 60+ other systems since I got into the hobby, including HERO (my all-time #1 fave), M&M, RIFTS, GURPS (which I only play out of friendship), Paranoia, and a few playtests.

3. If you were playing 3E, why did you decide to investigate/play an original edition game or retroclone?

I still play 3E.

3. If you were playing 4E, why did you decide to investigate/play an original edition game or retroclone?

Didn't play 4Ed because I was unhappy with the 4Ed rules, mechanics & approach. As a marketer, I was also somewhat displeased with the changes from the OGL to the GSL.

4. What attracted you to investigate/play an original edition/retroclone D&D?

It was what my core game group has been playing since the mid-1980s.


5. How did you learn about the original editions/retroclones?

It is what my core game group has been playing since the mid-1980s, and I already owned my older books.

 

[Treebore]

1. What are you doing with an original edition/retroclone D&D?

1. I'm playing in an established campaign as a player
2. I'm running an established campaign as a DM
   
   
   2. What type of roleplaying game were you playing (or are still playing) before you became
   interested/involved in an original edition/retroclone?
   
   
3. 3E D&D
   
   
   3. If you were playing 3E, why did you decide to investigate/play an original edition game or retroclone?
   
4. I was unhappy with the 3/3.5E rules, mechanics or approach
   
   
   3. If you were playing 4E, why did you decide to investigate/play an original edition game or retroclone?
   
   
5. I still play 4E, but only at game days.
   
   4. What attracted you to investigate/play an original edition/retroclone D&D?
   
   
6. I liked the approach of the rules/mechanics
7. I liked the philosophy behind the rules/mechanics
   
   
   5. How did you learn about the original editions/retroclones?
   
   
8. From a D&D related forum
9. From the retroclone publisher's website

 

[Crothian]

1. What are you doing with an original edition/retroclone D&D?

Right now I'm looking (not too hard) tom play or run. I have some time for more games so if I found the right people this could happen.

2. What type of roleplaying game were you playing (or are still playing) before you became
interested/involved in an original edition/retroclone?

This is a difficult question. I have always been interested as my first game was D&D and it wasn't retro at the time. So, there was no before.

Currently though I am playing in a game of Scion.

3. If you were playing 3E, why did you decide to investigate/play an original edition game or retroclone?

Because different is good. I would still play 3e if the chance presented itself. I have those books but I also have the original D&D games so no use ignoring them.

4. What attracted you to investigate/play an original edition/retroclone D&D?

I was attracted by the amount of "buzz" on the Internet

That's the closest. I wouldn't call it buzz as I would annoying posters. No more or less then the posters that also push 3e, 4e, Pathfinder, Exalted, Savage Worlds, what have you.

5. How did you learn about the original editions/retroclones?

I already own the older books.

 

[Remathilis]

1. What are you doing with an original edition/retroclone D&D?
I'm looking to run in a new campaign
I just got into BFRPG, and I'm tempted to run a few sessions of it.
2. What type of roleplaying game were you playing (or are still playing) before you became interested/involved in an original edition/retroclone?
3E D&D
4E D&D
Running 3.5/Eberron, playing in 4e.
3. If you were playing 3E, why did you decide to investigate/play an original edition game or retroclone?
I still play 3E
I'm not looking to replace 3E with original edition, just curious
See above.
3. If you were playing 4E, why did you decide to investigate/play an original edition game or retroclone?
I still play 4E
I'm not looking to replace 4E with original edition, just curious
See above.
4. What attracted you to investigate/play an original edition/retroclone D&D?
I used to play these games and wanted to "go back"
I liked the approach of the rules/mechanics
I liked the philosophy behind the rules/mechanics
I'm mostly looking for a nostalgia kick to remind me of the game I played in Jr. High, but I don't want to go back "all the way", I want some of the later innovations (like upwards AC) and better rule organizational/sensibility.
5. How did you learn about the original editions/retroclones?
From a D&D related forum
Right here, though I did the majority of my info digging on the publisher's website.

There is no guarantee I will actually get to play it, but my intention right now is to get an "occasional" game running ever so often that will involve dungeons & monsters and 10 ft x 10 ft rooms, and continue to use a more current edition for my "main game" for now.